Compare, self-hosted
Levelrail vs Coolify
Large catalog of one-click services and a polished dashboard, managing existing servers over plain SSH.
As of 2026-10. Statements about Coolify come from its own public documentation, linked on each row.
The short verdict
Coolify is good at: broadest one-click template list of the projects compared; and manages servers you already have over plain SSH, with nothing to install beyond Docker.
Choose Coolify when you want the broadest template list and SSH-only server management.
Levelrail differs here: an agent dials out over mTLS to the Docker Engine API instead of SSH from the control plane; and a level-triggered reconciler records a status reason per pass, instead of Docker Compose per resource; and metrics, log search and rollback with pinned images ship in the core. Levelrail is pre-release, a single node is the well-tested path and multi-node is in beta, so its track record is much shorter than Coolify's.
Where Coolify is ahead
- Docker Compose apps. Coolify: Deploys docker-compose.yml from a git repository or pasted file. Levelrail: partly, pre-built images from the dashboard; git deploys can build.
- Git push deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket. Coolify: Push webhooks for GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket sources. Levelrail: partly, all four documented; GitLab and Bitbucket previews are beta, synthetic-webhook tested.
- Builds from source without a Dockerfile. Coolify: Nixpacks and Railpack detect and build without a Dockerfile. Levelrail: partly, railpack detects Node, Python, Go and more; Ruby is rejected.
- Managed databases with scheduled backups. Coolify: Scheduled backups to S3-compatible storage for six database engines. Levelrail: partly, many engines, scheduled S3 backups; Postgres restores tested live.
- Automatic TLS certificates. Coolify: Traefik or Caddy requests and renews certificates for https domains. Levelrail: partly, internal issuer by default; public ACME verified once live.
- Multi-node. Coolify: Manages each server over SSH. Levelrail: partly, enrollment verified locally; WireGuard mesh still unverified.
- Deploy and alert notifications. Coolify: Email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, Pushover and webhook channels. Levelrail: partly, 18 channel kinds in beta, tested only against mocks.
Where Levelrail is ahead
- No SSH: agents dial out. Levelrail: Agents dial out over mTLS; no inbound ports. Coolify: no, sSH from the control plane to each server.
- Single control plane binary. Levelrail: One control plane binary, plus one agent per extra node. Coolify: no, three base containers: app, PostgreSQL and Redis.
- Metrics and log search built in. Levelrail: Node-local metrics at 15s and full-text log search. Coolify: partly, historical metrics and traffic analytics; no built-in log search.
- Readiness-gated deploys (zero-downtime on one node). Levelrail: Cutover only after the readiness probe passes. Live-tested on one node; multi-node is beta. Coolify: partly, starts replacement first; docs say no zero-downtime guarantee.
- Encrypted secrets for env vars. Levelrail: Envelope-encrypted, masked in UI, injected at container create. Coolify: partly, external secret managers documented; env var encryption not stated.
- Request firewall, rate limits, bot protection. Levelrail: Ordered rules, IP bans, bot handling, challenges and rate limits. Coolify: partly, rate limits via custom Traefik middleware; no bot protection.
- CLI and HTTP API. Levelrail: CLI and REST API documented; MCP server is beta. Coolify: partly, cLI and API exist; docs do not confirm full dashboard parity.
- IAM, audit log and 2FA in the free edition. Levelrail: Allow/Deny policies, audit log and TOTP in one edition. Coolify: partly, roles, audit log and 2FA documented; editions not described.
28 capabilities side by side
Yes, partly and no are what each project's own documentation states. "Not stated" means their docs do not say, which is not the same as no. Levelrail maturity tags (beta, stable) come from its feature status page.
| Capability | Levelrail | Coolify |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| No SSH: agents dial out | Yesbeta Agents dial out over mTLS; no inbound portsSource for Levelrail, No SSH: agents dial out | No SSH from the control plane to each serverSource for Coolify, No SSH: agents dial out |
| Level-triggered reconciler with status reasons | Yes Desired state converged, status condition with reason per passSource for Levelrail, Level-triggered reconciler with status reasons | Not stated in their docs |
| Single control plane binary | Yes One control plane binary, plus one agent per extra nodeSource for Levelrail, Single control plane binary | No Three base containers: app, PostgreSQL and RedisSource for Coolify, Single control plane binary |
| Observability | ||
| Metrics and log search built in | Yes Node-local metrics at 15s and full-text log searchSource for Levelrail, Metrics and log search built in | Partly Historical metrics and traffic analytics; no built-in log searchSource for Coolify, Metrics and log search built in |
| Crashloop diagnosis with last log lines | Yes Crashloop detection surfaces the last log linesSource for Levelrail, Crashloop diagnosis with last log lines | Not stated in their docs |
| Deploys | ||
| One-click rollback with pinned images | Yes Prior images pinned so cleanup cannot remove themSource for Levelrail, One-click rollback with pinned images | Yes Redeploys a retained older image; retention is configurableSource for Coolify, One-click rollback with pinned images |
| Readiness-gated deploys (zero-downtime on one node) | Yes Cutover only after the readiness probe passes. Live-tested on one node; multi-node is betaSource for Levelrail, Readiness-gated deploys (zero-downtime on one node) | Partly Starts replacement first; docs say no zero-downtime guaranteeSource for Coolify, Readiness-gated deploys (zero-downtime on one node) |
| Preview environments per pull request | Yesstable Stable on GitHub, beta on GitLab and BitbucketSource for Levelrail, Preview environments per pull request | Yes Per pull request previews; full UI needs a GitHub AppSource for Coolify, Preview environments per pull request |
| Docker Compose apps | Partly Pre-built images from the dashboard; git deploys can buildSource for Levelrail, Docker Compose apps | Yes Deploys docker-compose.yml from a git repository or pasted fileSource for Coolify, Docker Compose apps |
| Git push deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | Partly All four documented; GitLab and Bitbucket previews are beta, synthetic-webhook testedSource for Levelrail, Git push deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket | Yes Push webhooks for GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket sourcesSource for Coolify, Git push deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket |
| Builds from source without a Dockerfile | Partly Railpack detects Node, Python, Go and more; Ruby is rejectedSource for Levelrail, Builds from source without a Dockerfile | Yes Nixpacks and Railpack detect and build without a DockerfileSource for Coolify, Builds from source without a Dockerfile |
| Scheduled jobs | Yes Per-app cron jobs with run history, logs, retries and alertsSource for Levelrail, Scheduled jobs | Yes Scheduled tasks run commands in containers on cron schedulesSource for Coolify, Scheduled jobs |
| Data | ||
| Managed databases with scheduled backups | Partly Many engines, scheduled S3 backups; Postgres restores tested liveSource for Levelrail, Managed databases with scheduled backups | Yes Scheduled backups to S3-compatible storage for six database enginesSource for Coolify, Managed databases with scheduled backups |
| Encrypted secrets for env vars | Yes Envelope-encrypted, masked in UI, injected at container createSource for Levelrail, Encrypted secrets for env vars | Partly External secret managers documented; env var encryption not statedSource for Coolify, Encrypted secrets for env vars |
| Networking | ||
| Private networking between apps or nodes | Partly Named networks and allow rules; cross-server mesh unverified on real hostsSource for Levelrail, Private networking between apps or nodes | Partly Shared Docker networks on one server; cross-server networking not documentedSource for Coolify, Private networking between apps or nodes |
| Load balancing across replicas | Partly Experimental and flag gated; not tried across real hostsSource for Levelrail, Load balancing across replicas | Partly Traffic balancing needs an external cloud load balancer, set up manuallySource for Coolify, Load balancing across replicas |
| Request firewall, rate limits, bot protection | Yes Ordered rules, IP bans, bot handling, challenges and rate limitsSource for Levelrail, Request firewall, rate limits, bot protection | Partly Rate limits via custom Traefik middleware; no bot protectionSource for Coolify, Request firewall, rate limits, bot protection |
| Automatic TLS certificates | Partly Internal issuer by default; public ACME verified once liveSource for Levelrail, Automatic TLS certificates | Yes Traefik or Caddy requests and renews certificates for https domainsSource for Coolify, Automatic TLS certificates |
| Platform | ||
| Multi-node | Partlybeta Enrollment verified locally; WireGuard mesh still unverifiedSource for Levelrail, Multi-node | Yes Manages each server over SSHSource for Coolify, Multi-node |
| One-click service templates | Yesbeta About 360 templates; a sample is live-deployed in e2eSource for Levelrail, One-click service templates | Yes Large catalog of one-click servicesSource for Coolify, One-click service templates |
| Autoscaling | Partly Beta: CPU, memory or request-rate scaling with cooldowns and reasonsSource for Levelrail, Autoscaling | No Scaling is manual; operators decide when to add serversSource for Coolify, Autoscaling |
| CLI and HTTP API | Yes CLI and REST API documented; MCP server is betaSource for Levelrail, CLI and HTTP API | Partly CLI and API exist; docs do not confirm full dashboard paritySource for Coolify, CLI and HTTP API |
| Deploy and alert notifications | Partly 18 channel kinds in beta, tested only against mocksSource for Levelrail, Deploy and alert notifications | Yes Email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, Pushover and webhook channelsSource for Coolify, Deploy and alert notifications |
| MCP / AI assistant integration | Yesbeta MCP server with over 240 tools in on-demand toolsetsSource for Levelrail, MCP / AI assistant integration | Yes MCP server over Streamable HTTP with team-scoped tokensSource for Coolify, MCP / AI assistant integration |
| Runs on servers you own | Yes Runs on Linux servers you provideSource for Levelrail, Runs on servers you own | Yes Web application on your serverSource for Coolify, Runs on servers you own |
| Open source license | Yes Apache 2.0, one edition, no paid tierSource for Levelrail, Open source license | Yes Listed as open sourceSource for Coolify, Open source license |
| Security | ||
| IAM, audit log and 2FA in the free edition | Yesstable Allow/Deny policies, audit log and TOTP in one editionSource for Levelrail, IAM, audit log and 2FA in the free edition | Partly Roles, audit log and 2FA documented; editions not describedSource for Coolify, IAM, audit log and 2FA in the free edition |
| SAML or SCIM single sign-on | Partly SAML and SCIM are experimental and off by defaultSource for Levelrail, SAML or SCIM single sign-on | Partly OpenID Connect sign-in documented; SAML and SCIM not mentionedSource for Coolify, SAML or SCIM single sign-on |
All ten projects are on the full matrix. Product names and logos belong to their owners and are used for identification only.
Migrating from Coolify
Levelrail has a read-only importer for Coolify with a dry-run mode. It creates apps and databases here and never changes Coolify, so you can run both and move DNS one domain at a time. Some things do not migrate automatically, such as compose stacks, volume contents and certificates.
Questions about Levelrail and Coolify
Is Levelrail a good alternative to Coolify?
Large catalog of one-click services and a polished dashboard, managing existing servers over plain SSH. How Levelrail differs: An agent dials out over mTLS to the Docker Engine API instead of SSH from the control plane. A level-triggered reconciler records a status reason per pass, instead of Docker Compose per resource. Metrics, log search and rollback with pinned images ship in the core. Choose Coolify instead when you want the broadest template list and SSH-only server management. Levelrail is pre-release, so check the comparison for what it does not do yet.
When should I choose Coolify instead of Levelrail?
Choose Coolify when you want the broadest template list and SSH-only server management.
Can I move from Coolify to Levelrail?
Yes. Levelrail has a read-only importer for Coolify with a dry-run mode. It creates apps and databases here without touching Coolify, so you can run both and move DNS one domain at a time. Some things do not migrate automatically, and the migrating from coolify page lists them.
Is Levelrail ready to replace Coolify in production?
Pre-release: no stable release; APIs, the app spec and the on-disk layout can change between betas. A single node is the well-tested path; multi-node is in beta and the WireGuard mesh is not battle-tested. Check the feature status page before moving anything you cannot afford to lose, and keep Coolify running alongside until you trust the result.